From Cape to Cannes

Saturday

Jul 25, 2009 at 2:00 AMAug 4, 2009 at 3:13 PM

Shooting a theater-quality movie used to be the domain of major studios, but, in the last couple of years, independent projects have become increasingly common on both the Cape and SouthCoast, featuring local casts, crew and settings.

CHRISTOPHER BOUCHER

Move over, Hollywood — this corner of Massachusetts is abuzz with the lights, camera, action of local filmmakers, some making full-length features for the first time.

Shooting a theater-quality movie used to be the domain of major studios, but, in the last couple of years, independent projects, both long and short, have become increasingly common on both the Cape and SouthCoast, featuring local casts, crew and settings.

"The Cape and Islands area has a lot of talent," says Shane Kinsman, the co-founder and owner of Maran Films in Bourne. "It's a place that I think is going to explode within the next few years for filmmaking."

Kinsman, 37, is just one of many filmmakers who are mining local resources to create full-length films, fueled not only by their vision but the increasingly accessible technology of modern movie-making. Kinsman's company is in production on its first full-length feature, called "My Intuition."

"What we're doing is a modern-day, noir-style film," says Kinsman, who has extensive experience producing television commercials and documentaries. "For the most part we're trying to do everything with camera angles, and creating a mood with lighting, as opposed to using CGI (computer-generated imagery) and computer-generated effects."

While some may overlook the Cape and SouthCoast as prominent venues for filmmaking, they are in fact home to several production companies, both fledgling and otherwise — among them A.S. Films International, whose short film "Clam Pie" has won a raft of awards and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The 5-minute short can be seen at the Woods Hole Film Festival tomorrow.

The film's creators, Dan Boylan, 38, and Guy Taylor, 32, of South Yarmouth, were quick to point out the advantages of working locally. "Just right where we're based out on the Cape there are a number of folks around who are serious about film," says Taylor.

Ben Soderlund, the director of photography at Dark Visual Pictures in Middleboro, agrees. Soderlund says that his company, founded last year, held casting calls for its first-time film-in-progress, "Bad Driver," and found that the area is rife with acting talent.

"To get all of our actors we went through Craigslist," Soderlund says. "We had over 25 people turn up for our casting days."

Soderlund, 20, and his partner, Jakob Chestna, 23, decided to make their dark comedy as a way to challenge themselves and boost their resumes for film school — and beyond.

"We were both interested to see if we could pull it off," Soderlund says of their feature-length flick. "We'll be talking to friends and family about this, and they're all kind of surprised to see someone doing this in Middleboro."

Soderlund isn't the only filmmaker whose activities catch those around him by surprise. "The hardest part of the whole thing is when we're trying to scout our locations," says Brandon Quaranto of Carver. Quaranto's company, Burgafilms, has been shooting TV and video productions for more than 10 years and is now undertaking its first full-length feature, a thriller titled "Revenge." "When you walk in and explain that you work for a film company, you get a chuckle," Quaranto says.

Even though business owners are sometimes surprised, the filmmakers concur that their communities have been very supportive overall. Taylor and Boylan note the help they received from the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod and the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, and Kinsman says he's received cooperation not only from local businesses but also from the Bourne Police Department.

"They are pretty excited about working with us — they want to show the community that they're not just there for busting people," says Kinsman. "They provided us cruisers and an officer who actually has production experience."

One challenge for local indie filmmakers is financing. Funding for their projects often comes from private donations or from the filmmakers themselves, and many hold second jobs. Soderlund works at a couple of retail stores, for example, while Kinsman owns Suntan Express and Speedwash Laundromat in Buzzards Bay.

The companies' budgets also run the gamut. Soderlund, who is working with digital video, says that Dark Visual Pictures has spent between $6,000 and $7,000 so far to make "Bad Driver." On the other end of the spectrum, Kinsman — who is working with a mixture of film and high-definition video — says his company will spend an estimated $250,000 on its film, though that figure includes the purchase of equipment that he plans to use in the production of other films.

Kinsman says that new technologies — like the advent of moderately priced high-definition digital video cameras — are making film production more affordable.

"The technology has enabled people to make films and try a craft that maybe they haven't tried (previously)," Kinsman says. "You can buy a consumer-grade high-def camera and get the same results as you can with a 16-millimeter camera — that in itself is huge."

Even so, these projects are still a major undertaking. In the face of so many obstacles, Kinsman says, it's impossible to make independent films without a strong support system.

"(Filmmaking) is time-consuming — sometimes you're on the set for 16, 18 hours a day. My wife and my family are very, very supportive. I can't stress enough how much they're behind what I'm doing."

Given the warm response that Kinsman has received from his community, he hopes others will consider making films locally.

"With the technology that we have now, and the prices that we buy gear for, more people should try," Kinsman says. "It doesn't have to be a big production. As long as you can create art and be happy doing it, then that's all that really matters."